


Budded Flight

by thederpypikachu



Series: Timeless Flight [1]
Category: One Piece
Genre: Asexual Monkey D. Luffy, Fake Character Death, Fix-It of Sorts, Pirate King Monkey D. Luffy, Reincarnation, Swearing, Temporary Character Death, Time Travel, Time Travel Fix-It, inspired and based on beginning the next dream by rikojasmine, no beta we die like marines when faced with luffy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-11
Updated: 2021-01-11
Packaged: 2021-03-16 05:20:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,966
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28701321
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thederpypikachu/pseuds/thederpypikachu
Summary: Luffy had been under the effect of dozens of Devil Fruits before. Positive, negative, neutral effects; he'd been affected emotionally, mentally, and physically, had his body beaten and healed, tossed around and cut up and burned and stitched together and everything and anything in between.The only thing he'd never come across was time travel.
Series: Timeless Flight [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2128173
Comments: 18
Kudos: 173





	Budded Flight

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Beginning the Next Dream](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18862240) by [RikoJasmine](https://archiveofourown.org/users/RikoJasmine/pseuds/RikoJasmine). 



> You do not necessarily have had to have read RikoJasmine's original story, but I highly recommend it. The only differences I think is that I wrote from Luffy/Wyvern's POV, and I was more focused on Wyvern's relationship with the ASL boys over Wyvern's childhood and growing up. Oh, and Dragon only taught Wyvern how to properly use knives and stuff in the kitchen, and safety. Not cooking itself.
> 
> The rest all can be assumed as the same, I just didn't rewrite or include it explicitly in this story because I don't want to rewrite RikoJasmine's story, just share my ideas and how I see this AU working.
> 
> Enjoy!

Luffy had been under the effect of dozens of Devil Fruits before. Positive, negative, neutral effects; he'd been affected emotionally, mentally, and physically, had his body beaten and healed, tossed around and cut up and burned and stitched together and everything and anything in between.

The only thing he'd never come across was time travel.

Which, he mused, eyeing his gra- nope, dad, its dad now - _father_ , was not what he was expecting when he woke up.

_The last thing he remembered was cole metal pressing against his neck, wood rubbing against his knees, staring out over a crowd bigger than any he’d ever seen in his life. Two Marines at either side, three admirals behind, vice-admirals behind them, and hundreds of lower-ranked soldiers and officers spread out below the scaffolding. Behind the barriers were people from all over, every Blue and both halves of the Grand Line. He could see humans, merfolk, fishpeople, Skyfolk, giant humans, people from tribes around the world, hell, even a couple retired big-name Marines were scattered about._

_Looking closer, he spotted Sabo, who had switched to traditional Alabastan clothes. Vivi herself was sitting with the heads of other powerful families behind the main crowd. There were Tontatta people perched on rooftops, and a couple giants on the outskirts. He caught a glimpse of Aokiji -_ huh, didn’t realize he was still kicking _\- off to one side, both prosthetics missing as he leaned on a crutch._

_His execution was planned. Luffy achieved his dream, helped his crew do the same. He dismantled the Tenryuubito’s control, overhauled the entire World Government in his own style; aka tear it to shreds._

_But even now, in his forties, Luffy knew peace couldn’t stay forever._

_He’d ended up surrendering to the small remaining group of Marines to protect his nakama and their families. All of them had protested, but he’d accepted his fate, and ordered them to spread out across the seas and help raise the next generations to be better people._

_Of course, even as the Marines on either side raised their blades, he could see his crewmates in the crowd. Said crowd was larger than the one that had been at Roger’s execution, larger than the entire battle at Marineford or Wano, larger than the entire populations of Sabaody, Fishman Island, and Dressrosa combined._

_  
_ _Nami was standing tall, her hands clenched around the most recent version of the Climatact, the only sign of her emotions being the tears that slipped silently down her cheeks._

_Usopp was shaking, sitting on the shoulder of one of the giants, hidden behind their helmet. He clutched at their flag, the one from Sunny’s main mast, careful not to tear the fabric._

_Sanji was half curled into himself, eyes locked on Luffy, his sleeve hanging limp. His usual suit was gone, replaced by a chef’s uniform._

_Chopper was in his Brain Point form, hiding among the Tontatta people on the rooftops. While he wasn’t as small as them, he comforted each and every one, even as he sniffled._

_Robin was standing near Sabo, her dark hair shortened to its new pixie style she’d chosen not long ago. Under her black and royal purple cloak, she clutched their logbook, disguised as a normal history book._

_Franky was both the most obvious and the best hidden. A decade prior, he’d figured out how to use his machinery to change his body, similar to Chopper’s abilities. He was in a slim form, blue hair tucked under a red bandana, tears pouring from his ever-present sunglasses._

_Brook was clad in clothes from Wano, concealing his bones from sight. His fluffy scarf was gone, but his fingers tapped out the beat to “Binke’s Sake” on his cane._

_Jinbe wasn’t in any sort of disguise, but fellow fishpeople and merfolk helped hide him by crowding around him and keeping him unharmed._

_And Zoro, his first crewmate, Zoro, was in the very center of the mob, standing completely still. He hadn’t bothered to change anything other than wrap a large hooded cloak around him to hide his infamous scars and swords. In his hands, he held Luffy’s straw hat. Zoro was struggling to hold back tears, something Luffy had never seen him even come close to._

_Luffy smiled at his crewmates, his friends, his allies, his brother. Gently, he allowed his Conqueror's Haki to wash over the crowd. It was a warm, slightly weighted feeling, comforting to those who knew him and startling those who didn’t._

**_“Don’t worry,”_ ** _he said to the crowd through his Haki,_ **_“there is no treasure this time. Only peace.”_ **

_And then the swords came down-_

* * *

Luffy had woken up screaming, his body feeling too small, too weak, misshapen. His Haki was barely packed in, almost like a goblet filled to the very brim with booze.

It took him time to realize that he wasn’t in his old body anymore. When he’d first seen a younger version of Garp, he’d nearly freaked out, since Garp had died shortly before he’d become the King of the Pirates in his last life. Garp had called him “Wyvern”, and when Luffy - no, not Luffy anymore, his name was Wyvern - saw a teenage version of his father, Dragon, he realized that he was not at the right point in time. The past, actually.

An odd thing, since he certainly never recalled having an Uncle Wyvern.

When he was five, Wyvern (not Luffy anymore) began training his body. He kept it a secret from Garp and Dragon. Just like he kept his Haki pulled tightly inside. Just like he didn’t talk about his life as Monkey D. Luffy. Just like he concealed his knowledge from his previous life.

Just like he chose to separate Wyvern from Luffy.

Wyvern was a small boy. His eyes were a gold color, not black, and his hair was wild and windswept no matter what he did with it. Under his left eye, he had a faint silvery scar, reminiscent of the one he had as Luffy, and across his chest stretched a silvery version of his larger scar from before. His limbs were lanky, and he was quick on his feet. Wyvern was clever -

_hid his knowledge -_

_Robin wasn’t old enough to teach him history and math and archaeology -_

_and Nami wasn’t alive to teach him geography and writing and reading and navigation and-_

_Brook was too far away to teach him music and how to dance and how to be agile -_

_and Zoro wasn’t born yet to teach him how to take care of weapons and how to use your opponents’ prejudice and beliefs and ideals against them and how to be observant -_

_Usopp wasn’t there to teach him art and storytelling and long-distance accuracy and -_

_Sanji wasn’t around to teach him how to be adaptable and fight with all of his body and how to cook -_

_and Chopper wasn’t there to teach him first aid and biology and how to use first impressions against others -_

_Franky wasn’t alive to show him how to fix machines and how to be smart with your environment and how to control your emotions in a battle -_

_Jinbe, he wasn’t there to teach him how to be a leader or how to sail or plan -_

-clever enough to dodge his father and brother’s attempts to get him to go to school, clever enough to get his hands on pipes and training swords and slingshots and maps and history books and a violin and a guitar and scraps and bits of machinery and so much more, clever enough to teach himself how to crawl and walk and run and jump and swim, clever enough to conceal his Haki from his father, clever enough to dodge Fists of Love, clever enough to teach himself how to be a child.

When he was seventeen, Wyvern slipped away from Foosha and sailed, by himself, to Loguetown. He watched Roger’s execution, watched the crowd riot over those famous words, watched the younger Buggy and Shanks each part and run from the mobs, watched the Pirate Era truly begin.

Wyvern took his time sailing back home, finding Cocoyashi and the beginning of the mikan orange orchard. He took a young tree home, planting it in the yard of the Monkey home on Dawn Island. By that point, Garp was off doing more Marine stuff, and Dragon was long gone on his own adventure-slash-revolution-slash-attempted-coup.

So Wyvern lived by himself outside Foosha, close to the forest on the beach, a few minutes’ walk out of sight of the docks, in a two-story home with his mikan tree growing steadily out front.

* * *

Around a year after he returned home - give or take - his father showed up, appearing on Wyvern’s doorstep in his vice-admiral coat, the beginnings of grey hairs appearing.

Wyvern had been pulling ripe oranges from the tree, pilling them carefully in a basket he’d taught himself to weave. When he saw his father coming up the beach, one arm held close to his chest and a bundle of red cloth held tight, he’d been confused.

Then Garp had gently handed him the bundle and pulled away the corner. “This is Ace,” he said, softer than Wyvern had ever heard him speak in either life.

Whatever else Garp had said was lost as Wyvern stared, wide-eyed, at the baby in his arms. Ace gurgled, freckles already proudly displayed on his chubby cheeks. Pudgy fingers reached up and wrapped themselves around a lock of Wyvern’s hair.

“Yeah,” Wyvern said, interrupting his father in the middle of whatever made-up story he’d come up with. “Yeah, I’ll take him.” He lifted his golden eyes to meet his father’s dark black ones. “I’m assuming you’d rather I have him go by our last name or his mother’s instead of his father’s?”

Garp had sputtered, face going red, which made Ace giggle loudly. Laughing, Wyvern scooped up his half-full basket and balanced it on his hip as he headed inside.

While his house certainly wasn’t stocked with supplies to raise a baby, it was clean and practically baby-proofed already. He had gotten into the habit of keeping everything clean and secured in place thanks to his decades on first Merry, and then Sunny. On a ship, regardless of its size, anything not secured or put away would slide around and get underfoot. Nami had made sure that he and the crew understood that after the first time someone had nearly sliced their foot open on Zoro’s sword, which had fallen from his hammock during a storm.

Garp trailed after him nervously as Wyvern got to work. The cloth that Ace was wrapped in wasn’t clothes, and just kept the baby warm, so that was first on his list. He scribbled on a piece of paper as he rocked Ace in the kitchen. _Bottles, baby food, a crib, toys_ \- he’d need a lot to make sure Ace grew up safe and happy.

Oh, and he had to remember to start keeping an eye on Grey Terminal.

Wyvern sent Garp off with a copy of the list. Foosha should have at least the basics. Toys he could make himself; carving was a hobby he’d taken up since returning from Loguetown, and what he couldn’t carve he could make using other materials. There was a carpenter in town who could make him a crib, though, and someone likely had old baby clothes Garp could trade for or buy with the pouch of beli he’d been given.

While he waited, Wyvern set about making Ace a proper room. Even though Ace would be sleeping in Wyvern’s room at the start, he would eventually need his own space. The empty bedroom next to Wyvern’s was already painted a warm yellow. There wasn’t any furniture other than an old rocking chair, but that issue could be solved pretty quickly.

Ace was talkative as Wyvern carried him around. Wyvern did his best to respond, letting the baby pull at his hair or play with his hands as he wished. He only had to change the makeshift diaper once, and luckily Garp had left a couple extra ones. They were cloth, which were easier for him to wash, as gross as it may be.

Garp returned an hour or two later with a pack full of food, bottles, and hand-me-down baby clothes. Wyvern wasted no time in pulling an orange shirt over Ace’s head and little white socks over his feet.

He could do this.

* * *

Roughly three years later, Wyvern was sitting with Ace in the main living room, reading a book on an island in Paradise that he’d not been to, while Ace was playing with some blocks on the floor. Wyvern had been particularly proud of that set. It took him a month, but he’d carved different shapes and painted them all bright colors, giving them to Ace for his third birthday. Ace had loved them immediately, and entertained himself for hours by building various castles and houses and towers and then knocking them down.

A knock on the door made Ace look up. Wyvern set his book down and got up, ruffling Ace’s already messy hair as he went to answer the door.

He did _not_ expect to see Dragon standing there with a baby in his arms.

The two brothers stared at each other for a minute.

“Wy? Who here?” Ace’s voice asked, and hands grasped at the hem of Wyvern’s shorts.

Dragon looked stunned as Ace peeked around Wyvern’s legs. Sighing, Wyvern scooped the toddler up and opened the door further. They settled in the living room, Ace going back to his blocks but still glancing at Dragon, and the two older men on the couch.

Both of them had unspoken questions, so Wyvern went first. “This is Ace. He’s three and a half. Dad brought him when he was a baby. Ace’s dad was not… able to take him, so Dad offered, and by that he meant ask me for help.” Wyvern grinned as Ace blinked at him. “He’s a little mischievous, but he’s a good kid.”

Dragon looked faintly amused, but nodded. “Hello, Ace,” he said to the child. “I am Dragon. I am Wyvern’s older brother.” When he simply got a wide-eyed look in response, he flashed an awkward smile and returned his attention to his brother. “This is Luffy. He’s my son.”

Wyvern’s brain short-circuited.

_How the_ fuck _did he forget about himself?!_

His baby-self was slightly younger than Ace had been when Wyvern took custody of him. Luffy was exactly as he remembered, save the muscles and the scars and most of the stuff that took time to develop. But he was quiet, and looked a bit spooked.

“I can’t take care of him,” Dragon said, dragging Wyvern’s thoughts back to the present.

Furrowing his brows, Wyvern asked, “why not? What about his mother?”

His older brother winced. “I, uh, may have involved myself in some _dangerous_ situations. I cannot keep him safe. And the fact that I am his father would make him a target-”

“For the Marines, yeah,” finished Wyvern. At his brother’s surprised expression, he chuckled. “Guess I’ll be raising the son of a Revolutionary and the son of a king. If only I had a Marine friend, maybe I’d collect the whole set!”

Out of the whole event, Dragon was more shocked that Wyvern knew he was a Revolutionary than the news about Ace’s lineage.

* * *

Adjusting to having a baby and a toddler in one house was a bit rough, but Wyvern managed. He dragged all of Ace’s old baby clothes and toys out, and set up the crib in Ace’s room. The two would be sharing until they were older, he’d decided. Ace would adjust faster, and they’d be closer.

Everything was going smoothly.

And then, while looking for old machinery in the Grey Terminal trash heaps - Ace and Luffy were spending a day with the teenage Makino in town - Wyvern found a boy.

Well, he found Sabo, but he hadn’t recognized (not his brother, not anymore) the younger child at first. His curly hair was messy and tangled, dirt smeared over his skin, clothes torn and ripped. Sabo clung to a rusty pipe, cheeks still slightly plump from baby fat.

Wyvern set down the old transponder part and crouched. He hunched his shoulders, kept his hands visible, and smiled warmly. “Hey, you okay?”  
  
Sabo flinched back, clearly scared of him.

“Wait, please don’t be scared,” he said softly. “My name is Monkey D. Wyvern. I’m from Foosha, on the other side of the island, on the coast. Is it okay if I ask your name?”  
  
Luckily, fate or whatever god existed seemed to be in his favor, as Sabo whispered, “Sabo,” even though he kept his grip tight on the pipe.

A grin spread across Wyvern’s face. “Hi, Sabo.”

It took weeks, but eventually, Sabo began to trust Wyvern enough to accept new clothes. Then he allowed Wyvern to help take care of his wounds, and from there he was finally allowed to give the boy food.

Wyvern was careful not to show up every day, and always stuck to the outskirts of the trash heaps. Sabo slowly grew comfortable around him. They fell into a pattern, and then-

“Can I come with you?”

Sabo’s broken little voice startled Wyvern into stopping completely. He’d been leaving for the day, satisfied with his haul of a mostly-intact mirror, an old toy boat he could fix up for Ace, a few larger planks of wood, and a can of nails. He turned around, blinking, to see Sabo standing with his head down, pipe tucked into his belt. “...what?”

Sabo tried to hide his sniffle, but Wyvern heard it anyways. “Can… can I come with you?” Tiny tremors shook his thin frame as he spoke.

A thousand thoughts and emotions flashed through Wyvern’s head, but he nodded. “Sure.” He held out his hand, and Sabo hesitantly reached for it.

Halfway there, Sabo nearly passed out, so Wyvern scooped him up. The wood he left hidden in a tree, and the rest fit in his pockets, so he could carry Sabo with both arms. It hurt to feel how light the boy was, even with the food Wyvern had brought him over the past few weeks.

As soon as he got home, Wyvern set to work. He called Makino and asked her if she could watch Ace and Luffy for a few more hours. She agreed, and he made a mental note to bring her some fresh mikans and to carve a new handle and frame for the mirror as thanks.

Sabo was still asleep, so Wyvern maneuvered around with him in his arms. Fetching water was easy enough, and he began warming it in the large pots he had for this exact purpose. It would take a while, but by the time Sabo was awake, he could take a hot bath for the first time in who knows how long.

Setting Sabo’s hat, goggles. Pipe, and shoes aside, Wyvern fetched a fluffy towel and a change of clothes to set by the tub. He chose to use the softest and plainest-smelling soap he had. Once the water was hot enough, he poured it all into the tub and got another pot going before he gently shook Sabo awake.

Awake was a bit of an overstatement. The boy was still mostly asleep as Wyvern coaxed him into peeling off his dirt-caked clothes and climbing into the tub. As soon as Sabo got into the water, dirt began to fall from his body like snow from the sky during winter. Wyvern scrubbed and scrubbed.

  
The water had to be emptied and refilled three more times before Sabo was cleaned. His hair was the worst, as dirt and flecks of rust and oil were tangled and stuck in it. The curls didn’t help, and Wyvern broke two combs before he got everything out. Sabo fell asleep soon after the first refilling of the tub. While it did make his job slightly more difficult, Wyvern didn’t have the heart to wake him again.

Sabo slept through Wyvern dressing him in new clothes, so he was carried and laid on Ace’s bed. When he went to go get Ace and Luffy, he’d have to stop at the carpenter’s again. Luffy was already close to outgrowing his crib, so another bed wouldn’t hurt.

When Wyvern came back a few beli lighter and two boys heavier, he was surprised to see Sabo was still asleep. He put Luffy down and handed him the stuffed dragon toy he’d proudly sewn after teaching himself how to sew in the first place. Happily gurgling, Luffy was content, and now Wyvern had Ace to handle.

Ace was smart for his age, but he was by no means a genius. So Wyvern sat him down at the table and explained the situation to him.

By the end, Ace looked conflicted. “So I have a brother?” he asked.

Wyvern shrugged. “If Sabo wants to stay, then yes, you'll have another brother. But he’s your age, just a couple months younger, not like Luffy.” Carefully, he searched the boy’s face for any hint of anger or negative emotions.

Luckily, Ace seemed to accept that Sabo would probably be staying with them, and went to go play with Luffy.

Wyvern sighed in relief. If Ace had started trying to kill Sabo, he didn’t know what he would have done.

  
Probably cry, if he was honest.

* * *

A couple hours later, Sabo woke up. Wyvern had his Haki spread over the house, so he knew instantly, but chose to let Sabo come to him. He stayed in the kitchen, preparing a snack for the boys. Mikans, like always. Thankfully, both Ace and Luffy loved the fruit, and never seemed to grow tired of their sweet flavor.

Soft footsteps made him look up to see Sabo rubbing his eyes and peering around the corner.

Wyvern smiled. “Hey, buddy. Have a good nap?”

Sabo blinked in surprise at him. Then he seemed to realize he was in different clothes and seemed to panic.

“Your hat’s on the table,” Wyvern said quickly. “I fixed the tear in the brim and patched up the holes. The goggles were pretty beat up, and I had to replace the strap.” He watched as Sabo hesitantly walked over and picked it up. He turned it over in his small hands, seeming to marvel at the repair job.

Blue eyes met his gold ones. “Th-thanks,” Sabo said quietly, and Wyvern beamed.

He held out a bowl of orange slices. “You hungry? I have a mikan orange tree outside, and the boys like to eat them.” To his delight, Sabo took the bowl and sat down at the table. It was funny to watch him warily take a bite, and then see his eyes light up before he started wolfing the fruit down.

“Wyv? Luffy’s crying!” Ace called, and Sabo jumped as the other boy poked his head into the kitchen.

Wyvern knew Luffy was crying, of course, he wasn’t deaf. But he also knew it was because Luffy was hungry, not because he was tired or needed a new diaper.

But he was focused on the two five-year-olds, who were staring at each other.

It felt like an eternity before Ace looked at him. “Is that Sabo?”  
  
Smiling, Wyvern wiped his hands off on a towel. “Why don’t you ask him?” With that, he went to feed Luffy small mikan pieces before there was an accidental repeat of the Incident.

(Discovering that Luffy and Ace _both_ had untamed Conqueror's Haki at such a young age had given him a headache. The Incident had involved a mango, Luffy’s stuffed green dragon, a wooden knife, and half a dozen unconscious bandits, and had ended with Wyvern having to force both boys’ Haki down with his own, which resulted in a horrible migraine. Not something he wanted to repeat.)

* * *

Two weeks into Wyvern raising three children, he woke up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat.

“I forgot about Traffy!”

* * *

He wasn’t exactly sure _when_ Traffy and Corazon would have their little escapade that resulted in Torao eating his fruit and Corazon dying, but he was determined to prevent any casualties.

On their side, at least. No promises about Doflamingo’s side.

_Fuck, he had to stop Doflamingo from taking over Dressrosa, and Crocodile in Alabasa, and Gecko Moira’s whole creepy zombie thing, and Blackbeard from killing Ace’s nakama, and -_

He had a lot to do.

First thing’s first. Wyvern called his brother.

“I have some information, but I want some things in return,” he said as soon as Dragon picked up.

_“What?”_ Dragon grumbled, as it was halfway through lunchtime where he was.

Wyvern grinned. “You better write this down.”

Then he proceeded to detail most of the major crimes that the Shichubaki, Yonkos, pirates, Marines, and everyone in between would commit in the next few years.

By the end of his schpiel, Dragon was completely silent. Wyvern waited for him to say literally anything.

  
Finally: _“I’ll be home in four days.”_

* * *

Dragon showed up precisely four days later, right on time. He had a nasty scar on the left side of his face, and was already wearing his hooded, forest green cloak that Wyvern remembered.

The boys were introduced to their uncle (in Sabo’s case), reintroduced (in Ace’s case), and reintroduced to their father (in Luffy’s case), and he, surprisingly, brought gifts. A model of a pirate ship for Ace, complete with tiny sails, ropes, and crew, the flag blank so Ace could make his own. A retractable pipe for Sabo, with a cleaning kit and a manual on how to make his own. And a stack of picture books for Luffy, each of them handmade with pictures of dozens of islands and places Dragon had been. Delighted, they all ran off to play in their room, the older two helping Luffy toddle along.

As soon as the door was closed, Dragon’s face hardened, and Conqueror’s Haki pressed down on Wyvern. “What is the date of the third fallen warrior?”

To anyone else, the question wouldn’t have made sense. To Wyvern, however, it was just their security code. He grinned. “Delivered at six months.”

Dragon relaxed, but still looked wary. “So,” he said, dropping a heavy journal stuffed with papers onto the table, “want to tell me how you know all this?”

Nodding, Wyvern got up to fetch his brother some alcohol. While he himself chose not to drink - his guilty pleasure was meat, after all - he knew his brother had stolen plenty of their father’s booze before setting sail. “I lived through it.”

“Huh?” Dragon actually looked confused now as he accepted the glass, displaying an emotion other than seriousness, anger, or gentleness (thought the last one was only directed towards the boys).

Wyvern waited until his brother had taken a large gulp before saying calmly, “I’m Luffy, the Pirate King, and I died and reincarnated as your brother.”  
  


The spit take was absolutely hilarious.

* * *

Wyvern ended up taking the boys to the beach, letting them play in the sand while he and his brother talked. Or rather, while he talked and his brother listened in shock.

“This is my second life,” he began. “In my first life, I was born Monkey D. Luffy, to one Monkey D. Dragon, only son of Monkey D. Garp. I grew up in Foosha, and when I was seven, Shanks and his crew stayed for a few months. I stabbed myself under the left eye to prove myself, getting a scar. Then I ate the Gomu Gomu no mi, and Shanks gave me his straw hat before he left. Garp - my grandpa - took me to the mountain bandits, and I met Ace. He tried to kill me a _lot_ , but I eventually befriended him and met Sabo, who had run away and was living in the trash heaps by then. They were both nine. I was seven.”

Dragon frowned. “Wait, what about you now? Wyvern?” He had abandoned his drink in favor of listening intently.

“That’s just it, I have no idea,” Wyvern admitted, watching Ace show Luffy how to pack wet sand into a dome shape. “I never had an uncle named Wyvern. Or an uncle period, really. So maybe I’m in a new dimension, maybe I’m just altering the same timeline. Who knows?”

He continued, talking about growing up and Sabo dying and Ace setting sail. He talked about meeting Zoro, and Nami, and Usopp, and Sanji, and how they sailed through the East Blue. He talked about Laboon, and Vivi, and the giants, and Chopper, and Dr. Kureha. He talked about Alabasa, and Ace, and Crocodile, and Robin. He talked about everything that came after, every fight and every island.

He talked about declaring war on the World Government after they took Robin, to which Dragon snorted and shook his head in exasperation. He talked about Merry and her spirit, and how Franky built Sunny for them, and how they set sail. He talked about finding Brook, and the Florian Triangle, and taking down Oars and Gecko Moira. He talked about heading to Sabaody, and the fight with Kuma, and everyone being separated. He talked about going to Impel Down, fighting his way in and then back out. He talked about Marineford, and going after Ace, and fighting the three admirals. He talked about Ace saving him, and Whitebeard dying, and everyone fleeing.

He talked about Rayleigh, and training for two years, his hand coming up to trace the scar-birthmark on his chest. He talked about coming back and taking down the Pacifista in one punch, and the crew going to Fishman Island. He talked about everything that came after, how Jinbe gave blood, how they kept sailing.

Then he talked about Dressrosa.

Dragon’s face grew darker and darker the longer Wyvern detailed what the Shichubaki had done. By the end, the leader of the Revolutionaries was shaking in rage.

Wyvern talked about fighting as Lucy, about fighting Sabo, about Sabo eating Ace’s Mera Mera no mi, about taking down Doflamingo. About how that was the third Shichubaki he’d taken down.

About how _strong_ his crew was.

He talked about sailing the Grand Line, about fighting Big Mom and Kaido, about becoming first the fifth Yonko, then a Yonko, and then finding Raftel. He talked about finding the One Piece, and becoming the King of the Pirates, leaving his Yonko status behind. He talked about turning himself in to protect his nakama.

At the end of his story, Dragon was staring at him.

The older man forewent his glass and went straight for the bottle, slamming it back like he was Zoro about to go on Sanji Duty. Dragon looked him in the eye, and said, “well _that_ explains how you murdered snakes and destroyed furniture with Haki at the age of _six fucking months_.”

  
Wyvern burst into laughter.

* * *

Wyvern never claimed to be any of the boys’ father. In their close-knit family, Wyvern was their big brother, their uncle, their caretaker - not their father. Ace and Sabo were six, and Luffy was three, and he tended to be brutally honest with them. (Except about the second life stuff. Everything but that.)

Sabo certainly seemed to appreciate it.

_Wyvern chose not to think about how Sabo had run away years earlier this time._

On Ace’s sixth birthday, Wyvern sat him down and explained who his father was.

Ace silently listened, face blank. He only spoke once, and that was right at the end.

“Am I a monster?” he asked, voice wobbling ever so slightly, and Wyvern’s heart _shattered_.

He scooped the boy up in his arms, pulling him close. “It’s okay to be scared,” whispered Wyvern. “It’s okay to cry. I’m a monster too, don’t worry. Luffy’s a monster, and so is Sabo. So is Dragon, and Gramps.” Leaning back, their watery gazes met, but Wyvern grinned broadly. “It’s okay to be a monster. Monster doesn’t always mean you’re a bad person. I had all sorts of friends who were monsters, and we were as close as brothers and sisters.”

Since Ace seemed hesitant, Wyvern launched into the (slightly modified) tale of how he’d met Chopper on Drum Island. As he spoke, Ace’s eyes widened further and further until they sparkled in awe, and he was firing off question after question.

* * *

Sabo was a bit harder to deal with. Wyvern didn’t have to explain to him about his heritage, but he decided to address a couple other issues instead. So on his sixth birthday, just like Ace, he and Sabo had a talk.

“You’re not going back.”

Blue eyes blinked at him. Sabo looked confused. “What?”

Wyvern crossed his arms. “I said you’re not going back. Not now, not ever. Not to those bastards.” The look of surprise on the boy’s face made him plow onward. “I know you’ve kept your family name, but you’ll probably want to change that to avoid anyone from catching on. Outlook is probably desperate to get his ‘heir’” and here both of them made faces at the word “back. That means any kids who are even remotely similar to your description will be investigated.”

Seeing how Sabo paled, Wyvern grinned.

“That’s where I come in.”

It took a bit of time, but eventually Outlook Sabo was declared officially dead, having been burned to death after being kidnapped in the trash heaps outside Goa’s walls. Outlook bought the lie, and thankfully no one looked too closely at the tiny body. (It was, after all, just a mixture of crocodile and tiger meat covered with hides Wyvern had made to look like human skin. And burned. Lots of burning.)

And from there, Monkey D. Spade was introduced to the people of Foosha, as Ace’s very sickly twin brother who only recently had grown strong enough to come to Dawn. They celebrated ‘Spade’s’ arrival with a party that ended with three tiny children curled around him.

* * *

By the time Luffy was six, and the ‘twins’ were nine, Wyvern decided that it was time for training to begin.

Garp, thankfully, was fairly busy, and rarely had time to visit. When he did, Wyvern managed to fend off his attempts to take any of the boys out to the jungle for training. And he deflected every single Fist of Love before they could even come near any of them.

Wyvern’s idea of training was teaching the boys the basics of fighting, and slowly introducing them to the idea of Devil Fruits and Haki.

The first day went smoothly, which is code for “no one died or broke any bones but there were definitely tears”. Most of the tears were from Luffy, since he was still a bit of a crybaby - the twins’ words, not Wyvern’s.

Ace and Spade took to the training like fish to water, delighted to learn how to hold their fists and where to strike to knock out most normal humans. Pipes were frequently used, and Wyvern was proud to say that all three were better with their weapons then they had been by the age the situation with Sabo and the Tenryuubito had happened last time.

Haki was a bit more iffy, since both Ace and Luffy were a _long_ way from being able to even consciously use a fraction of their Conqueror’s Haki. (And Sabo, which Wyvern had discovered in a terrifying moment when Sabo had snuck out and nearly gotten mauled by a tiger before he accidentally let loose a blast of Haki as Wyvern arrived). Both Ace and Luffy wanted to learn Armament first, while Spade looked interested when they learned about Observation Haki.

As the trio got older, Wyvern slowly gave them more and more free reign. His own Haki was strong enough to easily be able to keep an eye on them, regardless of where they were on the island. And with their pipes in hand, he was fairly certain that other than Dragon, Garp, and Wyvern himself, they could fight off any human or animal that tried to mess with them.

That meant teaching the boys how to hunt, and how to swim. Wyvern knew Luffy wouldn’t (probably) be able to swim in less than a year’s time, but it didn’t hurt for him to learn anyways.

* * *

The day Shanks’ crew arrived was… interesting, to say the least.

Wyvern remembered his couple weeks’ adventure with Shanks after Roger’s execution, but fully expected Shanks to have forgotten about him. Luffy was the most excited when he heard that there was a pirate ship sailing in, and dragged his brothers and Wyvern to town to see.

Shanks was keeping his Haki close, but Wyvern’s was either too strong or just better at staying hidden, and it took Wyvern jokingly shouting, “oi, you’ll actually have to pay for your food here!” for the pirate captain to notice him.

“Wyvern!” Shanks bellowed, striding through the small crowd to envelop him in a hug.

Laughing, Wyvern returned the gesture. “If it isn’t Red-Haired Shanks!” He drew back and huffed, hands going to his hips in mock annoyance. “Couldn’t even bother to send a letter! I’d have set the guest rooms up for you and your crew!”

Before Shanks could respond, Luffy piped up from his spot behind Wyvern. “Can you poop?”

  
Wyvern burst out laughing at Shanks’ incredulous expression. “Luffy, what did I tell you about that question?” he half-heartedly scolded through his chuckles.

“Not to say that to pirates because all pirates are full of shit,” responded Luffy, all matter-of-factly.

That sent Shanks into a fit of roaring laughter, and Wyvern soon followed after once he’d seen the completely serious expression on the boy’s face.

* * *

Unsurprisingly, Luffy went to Foosha almost daily to talk to Shanks and his crew.

So it was even _less_ of a surprise that Shanks was sprinting up the beach, Luffy in his arms - well, arm.

Wyvern was explaining to Ace how to properly use a knife to carve soft wood when his Haki picked up the panic that flowed off the pirate captain’s aura. He sighed, dusted off the wood chips, and told Ace to stay in the living room. Then he went to go wait for Shanks.

The look of pure terror that flashed across Shanks’ face when he rounded the bend and saw Wyvern standing with his arms crossed and a scowl on his face almost made Wyvern break character. But he didn’t, and Shanks strode up to him with a trembling hold on Luffy.

Wyvern stared at him.

Then he coated his hand with Armament Haki and clamped it down on Shanks’ ear.

“DO YOU REALIZE HOW _IRRESPONSIBLE_ AND COMPLETELY _IMBECILIC_ YOU ARE?! CARRYING AROUND A GODDAMN DEVIL FRUIT IN A BAR WHERE DRUNK PIRATES EAT DUMB SHIT ALL THE TIME AND LUFFY WAS RIGHT THERE?! SACRIFICING YOUR ARM TO THE LORD OF THE COAST WHEN BOTH YOU AND I KNOW YOU CAN USE HAKI JUST FINE?!” Shanks was white as a sheet, staggering as Wyvern yanked at his ear. “YOU DUMBASS! YOU COULD HAVE SIGNALED ME, OR HELL, _SENT LUFFY HOME!_ YOU’VE ALREADY LET HIM STAB HIMSELF IN THE FACE, WHY THE FUCK WOULD YOU RISK THE GOMU GOMU NO MI?!”

Then he turned to Luffy, who was soaked with seawater trembling in Shanks’ remaining arm, and said, “okay, did you manage to manifest any Haki against that bandit? Or the Lord of the Coast?”

Luffy squealed, and squirmed out of Shanks’ grasp. “I got a bit! I used Armament!” He mimicked punching the air, grinning. “My punches are gonna be even stronger now! Ace and Spade are gonna lose every fight now!”

“I’ve got some ideas for how you can use your powers, okay?” Wyvern chuckled. “Why don’t you go show Ace and Spade?” The two men watched as Luffy ran off, only tripping once over his own feet.

Once he was gone, Wyvern glared at Shanks. “You couldn’t have even bothered to ask me if I wanted to go to the bar?! You _know_ I like Makino’s new beef dish. And I wanted to see Luffy’s first power usage!”

  
Shanks sputtered, completely flabbergasted. “What?!”

* * *

With Wyvern’s guidance, Luffy gained control of his powers relatively quickly. Ace and Spade were jealous at first - until they saw Luffy’s fist bounce off of a tree and knock himself flat on his ass, and then they were a pile of giggles on the floor.

Wyvern increased the intensity of the training, graduating to teaching them academically while they fought. By the time they were eleven and eight, all three of them could hold their own against a river of overpowered, oversized crocodiles without breaking a sweat.

Luffy was growing more skilled with his Fruit by the day. Wyvern made it a point to teach him about biology and managed to explain how Luffy could use his rubbery body to become stronger. Watching Luffy figure out how to use third gear less than a year and a half after eating his Fruit was somewhat amusing, but also saddening.

After Luffy managed to inflate his fist and practically flatten a wall of trees, Wyvern declared his Devil Fruit training complete, and returned to their original training style.

Garp’s visits had dropped from once a season to _maybe_ once a year. It disappointed Wyvern somewhat, but he chose to keep himself and his boys distanced from his father for their own safety. To the boys’ delight, however, Dragon visited quite often, always around their birthdays and whenever he happened to be in the East Blue. He brought gifts every time, a variety of toys, educational material, and training weapons.

One time, Dragon arrived with crates of herbs and small clippings of rare plants from the Grand Line. Wyvern had been delighted, and enlisted the boys’ help in building a greenhouse to cultivate them in.

Dragon had found out about Luffy’s Devil Fruit and only sighed before ruffling his son’s hair.

* * *

Wyvern’s Haki flared suddenly and in half a second he was diving for Luffy. The rubber boy shrieked as Wyvern scooped him up and forced his Armament Haki over them.

Flames exploded into the spot they had just been standing in. Wyvern hissed, focused on keeping Luffy safe. The flames kicked at his hardened back, but he pushed more and more of his willpower into his Haki.

Abruptly, the flames vanished.

Wyvern slowly allowed his Haki to recede, first from himself, and then from Luffy. They turned to see Ace standing in the middle of a scorched patch of dirt, mouth open and eyes blown wide.

Spade was yelling; he’d been sparring with Ace only seconds ago, and now he was covered in flames. Flames that, as Wyvern stared, died down, and left no hint of an injury.

“Oh my god,” Wyvern said breathlessly. “Oh my _fucking_ god.”

It turned out, to their shock, that both Spade and Ace had _somehow_ consumed the Mera Mera no mi. While Wyvern _had_ been expecting one of them to eventually eat it, he was thinking more of one of them finding it when they set sail, in six years.

Not _now!_

After questioning the twins, he managed to wrangle out that they had been eating mikans the day prior, and had shared one that seemed to have gone bad. They’d each bitten into their half at the exact same time.

And now Wyvern was having a crisis.

  
Never, _ever_ , in either of his lives, had he _ever_ heard of two completely separate people _sharing_ a Devil Fruit power. He’d seen a case where a mother consumed a Fruit, and her unborn baby had developed powers similar to that Fruit’s abilities, but they had been naturally formed, since the baby learned how to swim just fine. But this?

_Never._

And there wasn’t even something like them being twins and some kind of twin power, no, they weren’t even _actually related!_ Two completely different boys, brothers only by adoption. Yet both of them could use the Mera Mera no mi’s powers to the same extent.

What the _fuck_.

* * *

On the eve of the day that Ace and Spade were due to leave Dawn, Wyvern sat them down. He’d sent Luffy away with the excuse of needing some specific plants from the jungle for the med kits he was preparing.

The twins stared at him, somewhat nervously.

Wyvern took a deep breath, and said, “I’m from the future.”

“The what?” Ace blurted, brows furrowing. Spade nodded confused.

Sighing, Wyvern lifted his hand and ran his thumb over the ‘birthmark’ under his left eye. “I got this when I was seven years old,” he murmured. “I’d wanted to prove that I was strong, and stabbed myself with a knife that I stole from a pirate.” He then unbuttoned his bright red, flowered shirts, and pointed to the ‘birthmark’ that spanned his torso. “I got this when I was, oh, around seventeen, eighteen. It started with my first mate and I fighting, and that very faint scar turned into this after I broke into Impel Down and fought the admirals at Marineford.”

Now both boys looked confused _and_ concerned. “Are you okay?” Spade asked. “You didn’t eat any weird mushrooms, did you? You’re not drunk?” He peeled off his gloves, probably intent on checking Wyvern’s forehead.

“Sabo,” said Wyvern firmly, “you’re planning on joining Dragon in the Revolutionaries.”  
  
Spade choked on his next breath.

Turning to Ace, he continued. “And you’re trying to form your own crew. Originally, you wanted to call it the Spade Pirates, but now you’re probably going to go with the Club Pirates, or the Card Pirates, since there’s already a crew in the North Blue called the Heart Pirates.” Now it was Ace’s turn to look stunned.

Wyvern told them.

Not everything, of course. But enough to convince them. And just enough to retell some of the stories he’d lulled them to sleep with when they were younger. By the time he’d finally closed his mouth, the boys were pale.

“You’re joking,” Ace said faintly, but there was no heat behind the words.

Wyvern shook his head. “Ask Dragon next time you see him. Garp doesn’t know.”

Another moment of silence passed, before Spade spoke up. “You’re really..?” At Wyvern’s nod, he swallowed. “...I mean I _guess_ it makes sense.”

“What?!” Ace whirled on him, sparks flying from his fingertips. “Do you know how insane you sound? That’s impossible! Reincarnation doesn’t exist!” Then he was jabbing a finger into Wyvern’s chest. “And you! If you’re really Luffy, then why didn’t you stop my dad from being executed?! Or my mom from dying?! Or me and Spade sharing a Devil Fruit?!”

“Because I _couldn’t_ !” Wyvern roared, and the wave of unintentional Haki sent the boys reeling. He inhaled and forced it back under his control. “Do you know how much I wanted to?! I _talked to your dad_ , Ace, right before he was murdered. I snuck past Garp and Sengoku and broke into his cell and told him about you,” and yep, there it went. “I told him that you’d be safe and promised to take care of you and I asked him if he wanted me to tell you anything. You know what he said?”

Ace was shaking, looking like he was four again, not seventeen. Because Wyvern _never_ yelled at them, never raised his voice at them unless they were in danger and he was warning them, which only happened once - Ace had tried to put his hand into the fire.

“He said, ‘tell him that I love him’,” Wyvern said, the fight bleeding out of him. “He said, ‘make sure he knows that Rouge and I both love him very much’.” Water welled up in Wyvern’s eyes, and he scrubbed at them furiously. “And I kept my promise, alright? Because before, I-” he sucked in air, and fell back into his chair. Tears dripped onto the table as his head fell into his hands. “I couldn’t do that the first time.”

He couldn’t prevent himself from breaking down anymore. For thirty-five long, painful years, he hadn’t let himself. Not even when he told Dragon did he shed a tear.

But now, he was sobbing, and every ounce of pain and sorrow came rushing out at once.

It felt like ages later when two pairs of arms wrapped themselves around him.

Eventually, he sniffled, and looked Ace in the eye. “It’s okay to be a monster,” Wyvern repeated softly, watching tears well up in those dark eyes. Eyes that held love, and happiness, and determination. _Fuck it._ This would probably traumatize them, but he was gonna say it anyways. “Ace… the last thing you ever said to me was ‘thank you for loving me.’”

The choked sobs that intensified only made his own louder, and the trio went back to their messy cryfest.

* * *

Wyvern kept most of the future a secret. He only told them one more specific thing: “Don’t trust Teach,” he hissed to the twins. “He’s not who he says he is.”  
  
For now, they wouldn’t know who or what he was talking about. But Wyvern knew that was the _one_ thing that he would fix. Blackbeard’s betrayal led to Ace hunting him down, which led to their fight, which led to Marineford, which led to-

Well, even if he had to do it himself, Wyvern was determined to stop Blackbeard.

He and Luffy stood side by side as they waved the twins off. Each had their own boat, and their own provisions. And this time, Wyvern had managed to create two replicas of Ace’s skipper from before. They ran on the boys’ flames, which meant they could travel as far as their energy levels could handle. _And_ there were proper life vests in case either of them ran into a storm.

“Love you!” Ace suddenly shouted as his boat shot towards the horizon.

Spade waved, beaming. “I’ll see you soon!”

“Have fun!” Luffy yelled, grinning widely.

And then they were gone.

* * *

Two years later, on the same dock, Wyvern was instructing Luffy on what he needed to do. “Be careful,” he said, making sure the ropes were tied properly. “Don’t go running around without a plan.”

Luffy rolled his eyes. “I _knoooow_ ,” he groaned.

Putting his hands on his hips, Wyvern sighed. “I mean it, Luffy. At least plan a couple steps ahead. And keep your nakama close.” Reaching forward, he readjusted the straw hat that was his in another life. “Keep your Haki hidden unless it's an absolute emergency,” he reminded the boy. “Rookies fresh off the Blues shouldn't even know what it is, let alone be as proficient with it as you are. Same goes for your gears. Emergencies only.”  
  


Nodding, Luffy gave him a hug. The two separated after a moment, and then Luffy was drifting out to sea.

Wyvern watched him go, and when he was a good distance away, he cupped his hands around his mouth. “I better see a damn good bounty, you hear?! And if I have to come get you, it better be for a good reason!”

Laughing, Luffy waved, and then he, too, was gone.

* * *

It was…

Quiet.

Wyvern never noticed how noisy it got with kids in the house. Before Ace, he’d been the one causing noise, and then once he was older, it had been Ace, and Luffy, and Spade.

Now it was silent.

And he hated it.

Wyvern was _bored._

Eventually, it took Dragon stopping by a few weeks later and finding him staring at the sky under his mikan tree for Wyvern to do something.

“You could go find Rayleigh,” Dragon suggested over drinks later that night. “Or check on Raftel before Luffy gets there.”

Wyvern actually perked up at that. “I bet I could find Shanks, too.”

It was decided. Wyvern built his own little sloop, just big enough that he had room for a tiny galley, bathroom, storage space, and bedroom, and a deck just large enough to include a baby mikan tree (he was proud of his growing orchard and having a tree with him would let him have a supply of fresh fruit, and memories of home), yet small enough that he could man it himself. He left the sails blank, and packed the storeroom with provisions and a few books and maps. He tucked a few changes of clothes into the bedroom. Wyvern even got his transponder snail set up, and the hull had a special bubble shield installed, like Whitebeard’s main ship had had - or has? It didn’t particularly matter.

The day before he left, a package arrived from Dragon; half a dozen shifting log poses, and several smaller eternal poses to various islands across the Grand Line.

Wyvern set off for the first time in years.

* * *

Surprisingly, Wyvern was able to catch up, and then pull ahead of Luffy and his growing crew. He had all three boys’ bounty posters tacked up on the wall in the galley, one from each change in bounty. Once they each joined-slash-formed their own crews-slash-revolutionary-groups, he pulled down the old posters and pinned their crewmates’ posters up too.

It was nice, he mused, to have his crew watching him from their posters, even if they weren’t his crew this time.

Alabasa was exactly the same, he’d discovered, strolling through the streets of Nanohana, relishing in the feeling of freedom.

Wyvern chose not to dress in the traditional Alabastan clothing, which gained him a few odd looks as he walked around in a red flowered shirt and shorts. But he didn’t care. He could handle extreme temperatures far better than most humans, even on the Grand Line.

It wasn’t until a few days after his arrival that his Haki picked up several familiar auras. Wyvern returned to his little sloop - which he’d affectionately dubbed _Chīsanao_ , or ‘Little King’ - to wait for them.

The first to arrive was Ace. He was chasing Blackbeard, who, thanks to Wyvern’s warning, had been outed by a combination of Ace, Spade, and Dragon’s efforts. Unfortunately, he still had managed to snag a slice of the Yami Yami no mi, and slipped away.

Ace hid his skipper not far from where Wyvern was docked. It was amusing to watch the young man he’d raised walk right past him. Pulling tighter on his aura, Wyvern made sure he was completely hidden from anyone who had even the strongest Observation Haki.

The Going Merry sailed into port a few hours later. Wyvern’s throat tightened, but he nearly burst out laughing as Luffy slingshot himself off the deck before any of the crew could stop him. All the remaining Strawhats were grumbling as they rushed to tie Merry up, lock everything, and run after their captain.

Soon after, Spade arrived, and, to Wyvern’s muffled hysterical laughter, concealed his skipper not ten feet from Ace’s.

Wyvern slung a bag over his shoulder and took off towards the three brothers’ Haki auras. One of the first things he’d taught them was how to hide their auras, but he was far too strong for them to hide completely from him. Luffy, as he remembered, was tearing through the streets, looking for restaurants and bars, while Ace was in the exact same bar as last time. And Spade was pretending to browse through a few market stalls while keeping an eye on his surroundings.

Ah, and there was Smokey.

The pseudo-fight started up not long after, with Luffy running from Smoker, who was both chasing him and running from Ace. Spade joined after turning around and seeing his brothers comically flying past.

Cackling, Wyvern jogged after them, just fast enough to keep out of sight, but close enough that he could intervene if anything truly bad happened.

Smoker caught up with Luffy a few streets away, and then the domino effect began.

Flames intercepted the clouds of smoke, and then they grew stronger as more were added.

Luffy whooped as the twins solidified on either side of him. “Ace! Spade!” he cried, delighted.

Laughing, Wyvern let his tight hold over his Haki loosen right as Smoker lunged. Careful to keep it from touching any civilians, he watched the boys’ faces light up, and Smoker go pale.

_“Wyvern!”_

While the trio were distracted, Smoker attempted to send a cloud of smoke crashing into them. His plan failed miserably, and Spade brushed it aside with his flames.

More Marines came barreling around the corner. Guns were cocked their way. Citizens screamed and fled. Smoker solidified, snarling. “Fire!”

Bullets rained down. They passed harmlessly through the twins, small sparks smouldering on their skin. Luffy cackled as the bullets ricocheted back, and Wyvern sidestepped and shifted his position slightly.

Guns clicked as the bullet hail drastically lessened.

“Meet at Merry!” Luffy cried.

They scattered, and Smoker roared in anger.

* * *

Wyvern surveyed Merry. She was in decent condition, but he’d have to show Usopp a couple tricks that he’d learned.

Carefully, he stretched his Haki out over her, searching. Hidden up in the crow’s nest was a tiny aura, warm and curious.

He smiled. “Looks like Merry’s klabautermann is getting stronger. Well done, you guys.”

Luffy and his crew blinked at him, and Wyvern realized he’d accidentally interrupted whatever they had been talking about. “Sorry,” he quickly said, “I’m just surprised she’s so strong already.” Glancing up, Wyvern saw her tiny spirit peek down and wave.

Frowning, Usopp asked, “what’s a klubahterman?”

Wyvern laughed, and leaned against Merry’s mast. “A klabautermann is a ship’s spirit. Not all ships have one, it’s usually only the ones whose crew love the ship very much that develop one.” Merry’s aura hummed as he spoke, happy. “Some sailors say that a klabautermann only appears when a ship is doomed, but I’ve seen some on ships that simply were loved so much that their auras developed early, even if the ship was in perfect condition.”

Everyone, even the twins, were gawking at him. It was funny - the Moby Dick had a klabautermann for sure, but she was more of a faint spirit than a truly solidified klabautermann. He was surprised Ace hadn’t met Moby, then figured it was probably because she stayed hidden, unlike Merry.

With a gentle nudge, Wyvern fed a little bit of energy into Merry. She lit up, and absorbed it, sending a pulse of gratitude back his way. His smile softened into something fond. “Merry’s really strong for how new she is. It’s impressive. Means you guys really do love her a lot,” he explained, and chuckled at how Usopp’s eyes welled up.

They returned to their original conversation - something about how different Luffy and his brothers were from each other - but Wyvern chose to keep to himself. He excused himself and slipped up to Nami’s tiny orchard of mikan trees. Tucking himself between them, Wyvern closed his eyes and inhaled their scent.

When he opened them again, Merry was sitting in front of him.

Already, after only a couple months, _if_ that, she was pretty tangible. Her coat was a lovely pale grey, and the hood had ram horns on either side. He couldn’t see her eyes, but her smile was happy.

_“It’s not just because of them,”_ she whispered, turning her wooden hammer over in her hands.

Wyvern raised a brow. “What?”

Humming, Merry nodded towards him. _“You’re helping me be strong, too. Even though you’re not my captain this time, you still love me and the crew. Distance doesn’t matter, not with love that strong.”_ She giggled, leaning back against the trunk of one of the trees.

That… _huh._

Okay, while it made sense, it was not at all expected.

Wyvern smiled sadly. “Guess so.”

**Author's Note:**

> it took me four and a half hours straight, an hour break, and then another 50ish minutes to type this up from physical paper to google docs. my hands are in so much pain.
> 
> Just a one-shot. If people like it and I get more than two readers maybe I'll continue it. I really love the original story by RikoJasmine and I hope they're okay with me doing a spin-off in my own style.
> 
> I DID NOT COME UP WITH THE IDEA FOR MONKEY D. WYVERN BY THE WAY. GO READ THE ORIGINAL FIC THIS WAS BASED OFF OF.
> 
> i wrote the bit about shanks and luffy getting his fruit powers and also the bit about the twins getting the mera mera no mi at like 2 am so sorry if it looks like i was on crack i wasnt but yknow chaos :D
> 
> I learned a bunch about Japanese Mikan Oranges and the canon One Piece timeline while writing this, which was cool. And Rouge got pregnant in May, and if she hadn't had to keep Ace safe, he would've been born around February of the next year, almost a year before he actually was born. As a result, I'm estimating that Roger was executed around late June to early September of the same year that Rouge got pregnant, meaning Roger died roughly 19-16 months before Ace was born. Or that's just what I'm saying for this version. So Wyvern would have gotten home from Loguetown around late September-early October (he took a long time and visited different islands shh). He was alone for 13-ish months before Garp brought Ace I'd say mid-January, since even with the Marine's fast ships, it would take time to sail from Baterilla to Dawn Island and the maps I've looked at place them a good distance apart in their respective Blues.
> 
> okay bye :)


End file.
